Taylor Tower sits empty after shutting down for the semester. Former residents were placed in different residence halls on campus or had the option to move off-campus, said Dave Isaacs. Credit: Reegan Davis | Lantern Reporter
Before the sun rose, a blaring siren from Taylor Tower’s fire alarm awoke Evan Updegraff around 5 a.m. on Jan. 10, two days before the spring semester began.
After waiting outside for an hour, Updegraff, a first-year in mechanical engineering, along with his friend, left to get food as they waited for updates on their dorm’s fate.
When they came back to assess the damage, the duo quickly realized their living situation would be permanently changing for the rest of the semester and they had to figure it out as soon as they could.
“When we walked back in, there was water all over the floor in the lobby,” Updegraff said. “There were puddles of water on my floor, and I was only on the second floor.”
Now, three weeks after the flooding incident at Taylor Tower, former residents of the dorm reflect on their housing and displacement experiences as they continue adjusting to their new living situations.
Delaney Joyce, a first-year in finance and former Taylor resident, said this incident has flipped her first-year experience upside down only days before starting her second semester.
“The inconvenience is a huge thing,” Joyce said. “This is all while I’m going through the first couple days of class, moving in, meeting my new roommates and trying to help other people on my floor.”
Joyce said she was fortunate to have a connection that helped her secure off-campus housing. She now lives with three third-year students north of Lane Avenue but is no longer steps away from the friends she made on her floor.
“I was someone who opted to live off-campus almost immediately but I know people who got relocated all over the place and still have to adjust,” Joyce said.
Updegraff said that he was also able to find an apartment off campus with help from his parents. He said that he was lucky to find an apartment so soon, but the location is not ideal.
“I was originally on north campus, where a lot of my classes are,” Updegraff said. “Now I am on Chittenden Avenue. It’s a 20-minute walk to my classes. It’s not that bad if I bike, but it’s a bit hard to bike in all of the snow.”
One of the off-campus locations that Taylor students chose to relocate to was the Rambler Columbus at 222 W. Lane Ave., a large apartment complex touching the north section of Ohio State’s campus.
The Rambler declined to comment on its role in housing displaced students.
Despite the residence hall closing, students and previous residents of Taylor Tower, such as Deepa Manikandan, a third-year in psychology, reflect on their time with nostalgia and sympathize with the students that will not get to have the same positive experience they fondly look back on.
“It was honestly so sad seeing Taylor get shut down and go through all of this,” Manikandan said. “The people there were really nice, the community was nice and the building itself had so many options for you.”
Manikandan said she was placed in Taylor Tower as a first-year and lived in a quad-style room with her three other roommates. She decided to live there again the following year and serve on the residence hall’s community council.
“I’m just so sad they didn’t get to have the same experience that I did,” Manikandan said. “Coming home after class you have the courtyard, there’s always people playing there, the lounge or someone cooking in the kitchen. It’s just so special.”
Dave Isaacs, a university spokesperson, said that this was a frustrating and disrupting experience, especially for the students, but is pleased with how students responded to the situation.
“I’ve been very impressed with student’s patience and their acceptance and willingness to be attentive,” Isaacs said. “We’ve bombarded them with messages as this thing has unfolded, but students have been really good about it. They have been good at understanding that there have been elements beyond anyone’s control and we just need to get through it.”
